Ted Simon Says

There has been a lot of
digital ink spilled over Yahoo!’s announcement to eliminate
work-at-home arrangements and have employees come into a Yahoo! office to work,
like this article
from the San Jose Mercury News, deep in Silicon Valley

Having read a number of
opinions on both sides of this Yahoo!-Brouhaha drama (hard to avoid it out here
in the land of the latest Gold Rush), I took just a marketing minute to reflect
on this topic. Here’s what Ted Simon Says:

C’mon People...
Bottom line, I find it interesting that this is even a news item at all. A
newly hired CEO charged with turning around an under-performing company has
made a decision that she feels is in the best interest of the company and
stakeholders. In this case, it's an organizational decision (I’m sure it’s one
of many decisions). It will either improve company performance or it
won't...and standing pat, minding the status quo would fall in the latter
category.

That's not to say culture
and work force organization are not serious items to consider; such items can
and do make a difference. But, as an outsider, I'm willing to give a smart
person some credit and think that she/he has thought this through. If that's
not the case, then it could be a huge mistake and blow up in her face. Even if
it was given careful consideration, it could still blow up. However, that will
happen in the real world, within the company and the marketplace, not in the
pundit columns.

Ya Gotta Crack an Egg…
I really am agnostic about Yahoo! and its future. I am neither a fan nor a
detractor of Ms. Meyer. I just think it is fair to point out she is simply
doing what the Board who hired her brought her in to do - change the downward
spiral Yahoo! was facing. Pros and cons regarding work-at-home vs. report to
the office are tactical side shows leading up to the main event -- whether
the company turns around or continues into a death spiral. THAT will be the
newsworthy item to follow.

To coin an old phrase: to
make an omelet you need to crack a few eggs. And, I might add, you need to then
add other ingredients and cook it. This move by Yahoo! represents an egg being cracked. Time
will tell how this omelet turns out.